Classic hits make a comeback for the mobile

Remember those good old games you used to play in the 1980s and 1990s? Your Nintendo Entertainment System and PS1 may no longer work, but the best games of that era are still around.

Tetris, Pac-Man and Bomberman are among the classics which have found new lives as mobile games. If you enjoyed playing these bestsellers during your childhood or school days, you can now relive the good times on your smartphone.

Some of the most iconic games, including Super Mario Bros, Donkey Kong and Ice Climber, have yet to make the leap to mobile. These are Nintendo titles and the Japanese game maker has yet to release any of its games on a non-Nintendo platform.

So, no, you cannot get Super Mario on your smartphone, but other titles that have made the leap to mobile phones will provide plenty of room to indulge your gaming nostalgia.

Jasmine Osada is a freelance writer.

Tetris, Free (Android), $1.28 (iOS)

If you have ever played this classic block-stacking title on one of those cheap, single-game handheld devices, you are old-school.

With gaming giant Electronic Arts' (EA) official mobile version of Tetris, you can now test your puzzle-solving skills again.

Touted as a "re-imagined" remake of the classic, this game is run on a completely different control system which you will either love or loathe.

Instead of controlling the falling blocks using a direction pad and buttons, the new game offers you the choice of placing each block and tapping the screen to set its position.

While this speeds up gameplay, I miss the ability to finely control each block as it descends and the feeling of accomplishment that comes with skilfully easing blocks into hard-to-reach corners.

Besides the new control system, EA has added several new gameplay styles, including puzzle-based and marathon modes.

With jazzed-up graphics, a catchy remixed soundtrack and new play styles, this game is definitely worth a look if you like puzzle games.